The WLA Awards are an annual international awards program that receives entries in over 16 categories from around the world. The WLA Awards highlight the diverse range of landscapes, from urban parks and public spaces to residential gardens and ecological restoration projects, fostering a sense of community and connection with nature.
To improve your chances of winning a coveted award, we suggest that you consider the following suggestions for your WLA Awards submission:
Check the submission requirements
To increase your chances of winning, make sure to check the submission requirements, including the template, format, and information required.
Select your best projects
Often, your projects are like children, and it is hard to pick the best one. We suggest that you take the time to evaluate each project and select your best ones. Entering all your projects from one year may decrease your chances of winning.
Hero Image and Supporting images
When selecting your images, find the hero image, then choose supporting images that complement your description.
Review previous winners
The previous winners of the WLA Awards are listed by year on the website, and you can review each one in last year’s categories to see the winning hero image and also the supporting images.
Select the category
Review your selected projects and determine which category best fits your project. Often, a project may fit two or three categories, and it may be better to select the niche category to increase your chances of winning.
Evocative Tailored Writing
The description is the first thing that the jury will see of your entry. You need to consider the following
International Professional Jury
The jury is from across the world and includes landscape architects and designers. You should write professionally and avoid marketing-speak. Therefore, your description should be for an international audience and avoid local terms, acronyms or colloquialisms.
Why Not What
You should explain why the project should win the award in this category. Is it a destination? What problem did it solve? In the first 50-100 words, you need to excite the jury about your project and make it memorable. Avoid long descriptions of what the project is, and avoid starting your description with “this project is…” or “located in….” as these are informative but not evocative.
Align with the category
Your project description needs to align with the category; whether a large public space or an institution, you should include text explaining why it is suited to the category. If you are entering a category such as sustainability & resilience, your writing should provide more insight into environmental aspects rather than aesthetic detailing.
Show the Process or Technology
Often, as designers, we forget that the process can be just as important as the built outcome. Don’t leave all your sketches, diagrams, and calculations on a hard drive somewhere; utilise the project materials in your submission, as you may win because of the strength of your process, technology, or science behind the project, rather than the final (built or conceptual) outcome.
Create a layout with impact
Your images are what will win the award, and they need to be laid out to make the biggest impact. You should consider the following
Hero Image
Think about which image best represents your project and that you would be happy to use for all publicity, announcements, and future promotions. It needs to be evocative and create visual interest in the jury.
Supporting Images
The supporting images should show various elements of the project (overview, varying spaces, and detail). You need to be careful of including too many images on one page, as it can become visually cluttered and overbearing, making jurors feel overwhelmed with imagery.
Tell a story
How you arrange the images can tell your project’s story, and you should consider including before-and-after images, arranging them as a walk-through, or organising them by space or element.
Caption
You have the option to include a caption of a maximum of 25 words per image as a description or interpretation. This allows you to reinforce your descriptive text and clarify to the juror what they are observing.
Check that you have included everything
In the last few minutes before you submit, check that the submission meets the requirements, includes the entry number, category, and project name, and is in the correct format and within the correct file size. The Entry Guide includes the requirements and a guide to creating a file of the appropriate size.
Have fun
Although preparing award submissions can be stressful, you should aim to have fun, as creating a submission is a celebration of your work and the possibility of international recognition.
Find out more about the 2026 WLA Awards and how you can enter at https://awards.worldlandscapearchitect.com/
Image Credits
Top Left – The Beach at Elliott Bay (Expedia HQ) by Surfacedesign, Inc. | Image Credit Marion Brenner. Winner of the 2025 WLA Awards – Award of Excellence in the Built Commercial Landscape Design category
Top Middle – The Opera Park by Cobe | Photography: Cobe | Winner of the 2025 WLA Awards – Award of Excellence in the Built Large Public Space category
Top Right – Karanga Jump Platform by LandLAB | Photography: Ethan Reid | Winner of the 2025 WLA Awards – Award of Excellence in the Built Small Public Space category
Bottom Left – Bridgefoot St Park by DFLA | Photography: Gareth Byrne | Winner of the 2025 WLA Awards – Award of Excellence in the Built Sustainability & Resilience category
Bottom Middle – Earls Court by SLA, Hawkins\Brown, Studio Egret West | Winner of the 2025 WLA Awards – Award of Excellence in the Concept Masterplan and Urban Design category
Bottom Right – Trail for Healing the Burn: An Interpretive Network Supporting Post-Fire Recovery by Yuehui Gong, Ziyu Huang | Winner of the 2025 WLA Awards – Award of Excellence in the Concept Analysis and Planning category